New Dallas DFW Centurion Lounge Review
American Express Centurion lounges continue to gain popularity and thus are becoming more crowded. The first lounge to expand was the Seattle location, although that one was small to begin with and isn’t much bigger afterwards. Then last year American Express announced they would be closing their old Dallas lounge and opening a completely new one. I recently had a chance to visit the new space just days after opening.
The new lounge is just shy of 13,000 square feet compared to about 9,000 square feet in the old location. It is located not far from the old location in Terminal D across from Gate 12. The entrance is distinctive and quite beautiful.
While the old lounge had more of a broken up shape, the new lounge is rectangular and perhaps feels a bit bigger because of it. You reach the lounge via elevator. The check-in desk looks very similar to other Centurion lounges. Just off to the side of reception is a nice Centurion wall just to remind you of where you are.
As you enter the lounge, the Exhale Spa is off to the right of the rectangle. It was busy during my short visit and thus I didn’t get a chance to visit. Just as with the old lounge, you can either get a manicure or a 15 minute massage.
Seating
The New DFW Centurion Lounge has a wide variety of seating options broken into different zones. When you enter the lounge there are pockets of seats of a few different varieties along with some day beds overlooking the terminal below.
Beyond this first area of seats is the dining area. Just as with other Centurion lounges, this area features tables and chairs for people to enjoy the food and drinks available. Notice the narrow corridor between chairs. This is the main thoroughfare through the lounge.
The final seating area can be found past the dining area and bar. This large area features many different types of seating along with a conference table and computers.
My visit was just a few days after the lounge opened and apparently there were still a few small issues to work out. The computers were down and some chairs needed to be finished.
Food/Drink
The new DFW Centurion Lounge features a full buffet and bar. I didn’t consume any libations during my visit, however the bar area looks inviting and fun. There is also a stand up table for those looking to socialize while enjoying their drink.
For breakfast, the lounge had a decent selection of both hot and cold items. Again, I didn’t have time to eat, but the food looked fairly decent. Among the hot items were: Smoked Bison Sausage Hash, Aged White Cheddar Scramble and Goat Cheese Frittata. They also had a robust selection of fruit and pastries.
Tight Quarters
One thing I noticed in the new DFW Centurion lounge is the fact that they packed in A LOT of seats. While it wasn’t too busy during my visit, I could see the lounge feeling quite crowded with more people. I understand the need to maximize seating, but it’s just something to be aware of. For example, look at this corridor. It’s tight and this sitting area is perhaps the least desirable.
This & That
I have always been a fan of the decor at the Centurion Lounges and this one doesn’t reinvent the wheel. The lounge is attractive and comfortable. It keeps up with the traveling theme while also incorporating a bit of local flavor as well.
Finally, a children’s play area can be found in this lounge as well. It is very very similar to all of the other lounges and features an attractive design and a lot of fun things for kids to do. As someone with a small child, these rooms are appreciated whenever we visit Centurion lounges.
Bottom Line
The new DFW Centurion Lounge is a winner in my opinion. They have not only added more space, but have kept what we loved about Centurion lounges. The shape of the space is better than before and the lounge has kept its awesome spa. My only complaint would be how tight the seating is in some areas, but if that means the difference between getting in and getting denied entry, I guess I can live with that!
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Just went through about 2 weeks ago. The long narrow shape makes movement of people difficult. The line for food during peak times doesn’t have any convenient place to form so it ends up snaking out into the hall and reducing space even more… Hopefully they can get food restocked faster and that would prevent the line from backing up. Otherwise the only issue was me finding it when i already knew where the old one was.
Looks like a distinct improvement over the old one. I visited in May and it was pretty bad. Just a poor design, exacerbated by the crowds of people. IAH is a much better configuration.